what in the world?

Things you should know in order to understand why this picture makes no sense:
--I have never been an embroiderer. I'm about pattern, not picture; scrolly leafy lettery embellishments have never interested me.
--My favorite colors are bright clear turquoise, brilliant yellow, and aqua blue.
--Pillow covers don't interest me. Because where in my house would I put a pillow?

A few days ago I came across this site. Pillow cushions in crewel embroidery in zingy, bright colors. Wow! I love the designs. I love the abstract flowers and the fully saturated hues. The orange flowered pillow is my favorite. A few clicks later, I found out the designer, Kristin Nicholas, has a book called Colorful Stitchery and in one of life's minor miracles, my local library had it on the shelf. I like those pillows on the cover. Not the plaidness so much, but I like the abstract flowers with chartreuse leaves. They remind me a little bit of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. I wanted to try it.

I cut a scrap of linen, doodled some faint outlines directly on the cloth with colored pencil, and started stitching with cotton embroidery floss. The stitches are stem stitch, chain stitch, and french knots (in the center, the bumpy looking part). Of all embroidery stitches I've ever tried, admittedly not too many, I've always disliked french knots. Therefore I expected the center to be a royal pain, but in fact I quite enjoyed it. There should be leaves on this thing, I think; otherwise it looks like a bizarre blob. Still, there is something about the gloss of the stitches, and creating blocks of color that have texture, which is enormously appealing.

And speaking of color--what's with these hues? Obviously I was influenced by the book since I'd just been looking at it, but really--what on earth can I ever do with this piece? It certainly can't go on display in my house; my walls are painted turquoise and canteloupe. Gold, dark green, and maroon--wow. The total piece is only about 12" square, of which you see only one corner. I doodled 5 "flower" shapes on it and if I fill them all in, maybe I could make a small purse. Then again, not everything has to be useful. I feel as if I've been caught up in a creative tornado, one that screamed "do something totally, entirely different!" and, well, there you go. Another fiber doodle. Maybe it would make a nice patch pocket somewhere.

Comments

[diana]

Have you seen "The New Crewel"? Lots of inspiration there! I love looking at it, but haven't yet gotten the courage to actually embroider.

[Kristin Nicholas]

Wow - it's so exciting to see one of the ideas from my new book on someone's blog! You did an incredible job. When you finish it, can you post another pic and then I'll link to your site? I think it would make a great pillow - maybe you could add some teal leaves to match your walls and throw in some cantalope french knots for a background texture.

Thanks for making my day,

Kristin Nicholas